Prestea-Obouho farmers to protest against Chinese company over compensation

Cocoa farmers in Prestea-Obouho, a farming area in the Prestea Huni-Valley of the Western Region are poised to embark on a strong demonstration against Longshine Mining Company Limited for failure to pay them compensations after the company destroyed their farms.

Farmers say the Chinese mining company, Longshine Mining Company Limited, owes them many compensation packages.

According to the irate farmers, ever since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ghana Minerals Commission issued operating licenses to the company to mine gold in Prestea-Obouho, it has destroyed their cocoa farms, took over their farmlands but no compensation has been paid to them.

"Over the years, the Chinese company have taken over our natural resources and vast lands making our standard of living nothing to write home about.”

"The company dug various ditches in our farms warning us to vacate our cocoa farmlands for underground mining activities without even paying compensation to us as required by the mining laws in Ghana.”

However, the aggrieved cocoa farmers have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to impress upon the state mining regulatory institutions to, as a matter of urgency, intervene to ensure equitable and commensurable packages are given to them.

The farmers told SN24 News that, they will hit the streets with strong protest if the government of Ghana or the mining company fails to pay the compensations.

 Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu, Greater Accra Region